Blazing World
The Blazing World is an magical archipelago stretching from the North Pole to near the British Isles, through the Greenland and Norwegian seas. It is linked forth-dimensionally to a similar area- called Megapatagonia- that is near the South Pole. Geography It has a North Pole of its own, thus doubling the cold of these inhospitable regions. Its southern extremity, however, is more temperate: the climate here is mild and pleasant. The entire archipelago is governed by the emperor who resides in the Imperial City. The people of the Blazing World believe in one government, one religion and one language; a government of more than one person, a choice of several religions and a medley of different languages, they equal to "a monster with many heads". From the North Pole a crystal river leads through several islands to a labyrinth of canals, along whose sides stand cities of marble, alabaster, agate, amber and coral. The islands, and in fact the whole of the Blazing World, are inhabited by people of many colours and races; blue, green, orange; bear-men, fox-men, geese-men, worm-men, satyrs, fish-men or sirens, bird-men, fly-men, spider-men, lice-men, ape-men, jackdaw-men, magpie-men, parrot-men. Each type corresponds to a different profession; the bear-men are experimental philosophers; the fox-men are politicians; the bird-men are astronomers, etc. Along the river sail many types of vessels suited to the various types of people; some are shaped like bird-nests; the emperor's ships are made of gold; the merchants' ships of leather. All vessels are very light, whatever substance they are made of, and they float like wood. The Imperial City, also called Paradise, is built in the Roman style, in gold. A series of canals makes it appear as a group of islands, when in fact it is not. The different blocks are united by bridges. The houses are no more than two storeys high. Imperial Palace The Imperial Palace is built on a hill, surrounded by pillars in a four-mile semicircle with a gate every half mile. The First Gate, which leads from the city itself to the palace, has a cloister on either side, mounted on more pillars. The palace, lit and heated by the sun, is built in the shape of a church, one and a half miles long by one and a half miles broad. The roof is arched and also set on pillars. A notable feature is that a throne can be found in every room, for the convenience of the emperor. The Room of State is paved in green diamonds and there are also diamonds in the arches between the pillars. The roof is of blue diamonds with a carbuncle sat in the centre to represent the sun. On either side- east and west- are rubies symbolizing dawn and dusk. The entire decoration gives visitors the impression of a rainbow. The emperor's bedroom is black and even the floor is of black marble, but the ceiling is of mother-and-pearl with the moon and stars picked out in diamonds. The imperial bed is encrusted with carbuncles and more diamonds. Faced with such treasures, the visitor will easily understand the popular saying- that there are more riches in the Blazing World than in all of the rest of the planet. Category:Places Category:Pages